The Dallas Cowboys' season opener against the New York Giants
on Sunday will either raise expectations or dampen them, depending on their overall play and the outcome. Both teams have made significant roster additions, but Dallas will have far more eyes on them after their abysmal 2025 season. This coaching staff will be leaning on a few x-factor players to help them get through this game based on their talent.Whether it’s a playmaker on offense making a big catch, a defender forcing a turnover or making a key tackle, or a backup filling in for a player who gets injured, Dallas will need these four players to make plays outside of the bigger names on the roster. These offensive and defensive X-factors could be the difference between starting
the season with a win or opening the 2026 season with a loss against a division rival. Making their road ahead much harder than many expect.
Offensive X-factor: OG T.J. Bass
The abrupt loss of Tyler Smith ahead of the Cowboys game against the Giants has put a spotlight on Dallas’ veteran backup. Bass has proven he can come in and play without the offense seeing a dramatic drop in performance at guard. But Bass has had issues with bigger defensive tackles in the past, and the Giants’ new defensive tackle D.J. Reader could give him some trouble in the run game.
At 335 pounds, Reader is one of the NFL’s best gap-eating nose tackles, and Bass will need to find a way to control him in the run game. If Bass can control Reader at the line of scrimmage, Dallas can run the ball effectively on the left side of the offensive line. If not, the Cowboys' running game threat against the Giants takes a serious hit, forcing them to pass more and making them more vulnerable to the Giants' talented pass-rushing group.
Offensive X-factor: OT Terence Steele
While Bass is filling in for a few weeks, Steele is the current starting right tackle for Dallas who’s still fighting to keep his job. He’ll be facing one of the deepest pass-rushing groups in the league, and while his track record against the Giants has been pretty good, allowing one sack and eight pressures over the last three seasons. His play lately has been poor, so poorly that the team traded for Broderick Jones.
Steele’s biggest issue in this game will be the speed the Giants edge rushers have to quickly get around the struggling tackle. If the Cowboys can’t establish their running game early and have to resort to passing the football, Steele could become a big liability. Hopefully, knowing his job is on the line and Jones is on the sideline waiting for his opportunity, Steele can rise to the challenge and slow the talented Giants pass rush.
Defensive X-factor: DT Otito Ogbonnia
On the defensive side of the football, Dallas will be relying on Ogbonnia to help slow down the New York running game early. Giants’ new head coach John Harbaugh has always believed in running the football and will want to establish their running game quickly. Mainly to keep the Cowboys defense from zeroing in on his concussion-prone quarterback, Jaxson Dart, and opening passing lanes for Dart.
Ogbonnia’s length and strength should allow him to be disruptive in the run game if he’s able to control center John Michael Schmitz Jr. He’s not going to beat him with speed off the snap; instead, he’ll need to outmuscle Schmitz Jr. and eat up blocks so the linebackers can make plays. If Ogbonnia can successfully clog rush lanes and keep linebackers clean, this defense has an opportunity to cripple the Giants offense.
Defensive X-factor: DB Caleb Downs
Downs’ time to prove the Cowboys right after moving up to draft him has finally come, and he’ll be facing some veteran receivers looking to attack the rookie defensive back. Facing receivers like Odell Beckham Jr. and Darnell Mooney, Downs’ first game could be challenging. Offensive coordinators around the league like to attack rookie defensive backs early to rattle them, and you should expect Matt Nagy to as well.
Downs is a smart player who’s risen to the occasion in some of the biggest games in college, so he should be prepared for the early passes thrown his way. But if there’s one area of concern with Downs, it’s dealing with the bigger receivers on the Giants roster like the 6-foot-4 Malachi Fields. If Downs can hold his own against New York's size and veteran pass catchers, he'll take away the slot receivers Jaxson Dart targeted 339 times last season.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 4 Cowboys X-Factors ahead of Week 1 battle against rejuvenated Giants
